The object of Blackjack is for the total of your cards to
be closer to 21 than the dealer’s cards, without exceeding
21. In Blackjack, aces count as either 1 or 11, face cards
as 10, and number cards as their face value. If you receive
an ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards, you have
Blackjack and win 150% of your original bet (if you bet $10,
you get $25 back). If the total value of your cards is closer
to 21 than the dealer’s, you win 100% of your original
bet (if you bet $10, you get $20 back). If the total of your
cards is more than 21, you “bust” and lose your
bet. If you and the dealer have the same card total (17 and
up) neither of you win and your bet is returned to you in
a “push”. Blackjack is an ace with either a ten,
jack, queen, or king on the first 2 cards. An ace with a face
card after a split will only count as 21, not blackjack. Since
an ace can count as a 1 or 11, any hand where the ace is acting
as an 11 is a "soft" hand. Ex: ace plus 5 is soft
16. If you hit the soft 16 and get a 10, you now have a "hard"
16.
Player Options: These rules vary from casino to casino. It's
how the casinos change the odds.
Split
If your first two cards have
the same point value, you may split them into two separate
hands by placing a second bet equal to the original bet. You
then proceed to draw cards. You may draw as many cards as
you like on each split hand. Some casinos let you resplit
a split hand, some don't. Also, many casino's will only give
you one card after splitting aces. If you receive an ace and
a ten-value card in a split hand, it is counted as 21 and
not Blackjack.
Double
After you are dealt two cards,
and think that another card will allow you to beat the dealer’s
hand, you can increase your bet by an amount up to your original
bet or “double” your bet. Your wager is doubled,
and you are allowed to receive one more card. Some casinos
will allow you to double after a split, and some casinos will
limit the point totals for doubling only on hard 9,10, and
11's.
Insurance
Insurance is a suckers bet and we NEVER recommend it under
any circumstances. We'll tell you how it works, but don't
recommend it. Insurance allows you to try and protect yourself
when you think that the dealer may have Blackjack. When buying
insurance, you place half of your initial bet by pressing
the Insurance button. If the dealer does have Blackjack, you
are paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. If the dealer doesn’t
have Blackjack, you lose your insurance bet.
What are the
odds in blackjack?
The odds in blackjack vary with the rules of the game. They
can vary anywhere from being in the players favor by 1% to
the dealers favor by 2.5%. You should understand that the
better the odds are, the more likely your chances of winning.
How are the odds determined? The odds depend on a number of
factors. We will list each factor and state how in influences
the game. The overall odds of particular casinos
can be seen on the blackjack strategy cards.
Factors:
Number of Decks: The more decks the casino uses, the lower
your odds. This is because it lowers the odds of you getting
a blackjack. 1 deck blackjack is the players best option usually
(be careful to look at the other rules, too.)
Dealer soft 17's: Better odds if dealer stays on soft 17's,
worse if dealer hit's soft 17's.
Double after Splits: Better for you if the casino allows you
to double after splits. This rule may change your strategy
because you may decide not to split a pair if you can't double
after a split.
Number of Splits: All casinos will let you split at least
once. Some will let you split up to 4 times. The more times
the casino lets you split, the better odds you have.
Doubling: Some casinos let you double any 2 initial cards,
while some may limit you to doubles on 9.10, adn 11 only.
Better for you if you can double any 2 cards.
Split Aces: Most casinos give you one more card on split aces
and that's it. They won't give you a choice of hitting. Some
casinos will let you hit after splitting aces. A very valuable
rule to find.
Surrender: Surrender allows a player with a poor hand to give
up half of his/her bet and be counted out of the game and
keeps half of the wager. Surrender can only be requested on
the first 2 cards. Surrender is termed Late surrender if the
surrender bet is valid after the dealer checks for blackjack.
The dealer still collects the whole bet with a blackjack in
Late Surrender. Early Surrender is a rare rule which we have
never seen online. Early surrender allows a player to keep
half the bet even if the dealer has blackjack.
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